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Pulmonary Embolism and Right-to-Left Shunts

NCT07519876 · Status: RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 256

Last updated 2026-04-09

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Every fetus has a small hole in their heart, called a foramen ovale when they are developing in the womb. For most people this hole closes shortly after birth, but it doesn't close completely in 1 out of every 4 people. This is called a "patent" foramen ovale, or PFO. In people with a PFO it is possible for a blood clot in a vein to enter the heart, pass through the opening, and then go into an artery - this is referred to as a paradoxical embolism which passes through a "Right-to-Left Shunt," or RLS. If this occurs, the blood clot can cause a stroke. The most common RLS (more than 90%) is a PFO. Much rarer causes include other types of holes in the heart (like an atrial septal defect, or ASD), or a vascular communication in the lungs (like a pulmonary arteriovenous malformation, or AVM).

We are investigating whether people with a PE are at higher risk of stroke if they happen to have an RLS compared to PE patients who don't have an RLS. This study will simply observe and compare the differences in stroke-related outcomes between those 2 groups.

Participation in the study last roughly 90-days and includes the following activities:

* The study team will review your medical records to collect general information such as your age, sex, race/ethnicity, height, weight, medications, medical history, and other medical information
* Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of your brain will be done as soon as possible following your enrollment in the study. For more information on MRI scans, please see the "MRI scan" section below.
* A Transcranial Doppler (TCD) with bubble study will be performed to determine if an opening is present in your heart or lungs. TCD is performed using ultrasound. A contrast called agitated saline will be injected into your vein for this test.
* You will be asked to return for a follow-up visit 90 days after your pulmonary embolism. At this visit, the following will occur:

1. A second MRI of your brain will be performed.
2. You will complete a questionnaire to evaluate whether you may have had a stroke since being discharged from the hospital
3. You will meet with a member of the study team who will collect information about your health status.

Conditions

  • Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
  • Right-to-Left Shunt
  • Stroke
  • Atrial Septal Defects
  • Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)
  • Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Occlutech International AB

    collaborator INDUSTRY

  • Tufts Medical Center

    lead OTHER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-01-30
Primary Completion
2026-02-18
Completion
2028-01-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07519876 on ClinicalTrials.gov